Absence management

What is absence management?

Employee absences have a negative effect on any company. Absence management is the process of managing those absences, ideally to facilitate the absent employee’s return to work, but to minimise the company’s exposure if this is not possible.

Absence management best practices

HR teams can take the following steps to stay on top of employee absence:

• Have well-drafted contracts of employment and sickness absence policies and ensure that these policies are clearly communicated and easily accessible to employees.
• Ensure managers monitor and check in with employees on a regular basis, keeping a particular eye on employee mental health.
• Ensure that any sickness absence is properly and accurately recorded and monitor this data to identify absence patterns.
• Keep in touch with absent employees.
• Promptly schedule return to work interviews for employees returning to work after an extended period of absence.
• Ensuring that reasonable adjustments are made for any employees who require them.

For further guidance, visit our detailed guide to absence management.

What should an absence management policy cover?

A well-drafted absence management policy should cover:

• A policy statement, setting out the purpose of the policy and when and how it will be followed.
• A policy scope, which outlines who is covered by the policy.
• The reasonable adjustments that will be made for disability-related absence.
• How absences should be reported.
• Any evidence that will be required to support absence reporting.
• Sick pay eligibility.
• What constitutes unauthorised absence and what procedures will be followed in the event of an unauthorised absence?
• Return to work procedures.

Our members can download a model absence policy. Not a member? Get a no-obligation quote.